


The Executive Director of the Borg Reclamation Project

by Halfblood_Fiend



Series: Star Trek 2020 Filled Bingos [6]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26242687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halfblood_Fiend/pseuds/Halfblood_Fiend
Summary: Hugh reflects on the monumental task that lies ahead of him and takes his position on the Artifact very personally.
Series: Star Trek 2020 Filled Bingos [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904971
Kudos: 10
Collections: Star Trek Bingo Summer 2020





	The Executive Director of the Borg Reclamation Project

**Author's Note:**

> For the Star Trek Bingo 2020:  
> Horizontal Prompt 1
> 
> Borg

He knew it was going to be painful, but Hugh wanted to be _sure_ he was there on the day of the first surgery. As the Executive Director of the Borg Reclamation Project (a mouthful to be sure) he had spent much of his time holed up in his makeshift office, looking over dossiers of patients and double-checking research papers that had been brought to his attention by both doctors and the Romulan board who backed their work on the Artifact. Now it was finally time to put all those long hours to the test.

And how could he ever miss that?

His head scientist had been surprised when he informed her that he would not take to the observation room for this first clinical surgery. He could tell that she wanted to protest, but he remained adamant.

At 0700 Federation Standard hours, Hugh stood before the Alcove housing the first Nameless on the Artifact to be reclaimed.

The first of many, he hoped.

“Here they are,” the doctor said, referencing her holo-PADD. “Patient 1, Stroke 2. The first subject.”

Hardly the first subject, but Hugh decided not to argue semantics. All of Stroke 1 had gotten them to where they were now. His old Collective-mates, both reclaimed and deceased had given them the chance to do what they were doing now. And there was also himself, and the legendary Seven of Nine, Annika, that he still had not had the chance to meet in person.

So many had come before, and it was his hope that many more would come after. Hugh would liberate them all someday, but right now, it began with Patient 1.

Hugh keyed in this Nameless’ code into the control panel to the right of their Alcove, disengaging their regenerative process. He had memorized the first twenty Patients’ numbers in his anticipation. He planned to greet them all.

The regenestasis deactivated, the Alcove powered down and Hugh’s heart leapt to his throat.

He had practiced words ready, but instantly forgot them when the Nameless’ eyes opened.

_Green. Their eyes are green._

It was easy to recall the shock of waking up severed from the Collective. The steady hum of certain voices was missing, and in its place were mysterious, unassimilated people. His first instinct had been to lash out and then to wonder why he hadn’t been deconstructed.

And then the rest of history.

He wondered if it was stranger for this Nameless now. Their Alcove had powered down, they had been awoken, but there were no orders and no steady hum of a thousand voices to ground them. There was only silence, and terror—if only Hugh could explain to them that was what they were feeling.

That they were _feeling._

Waking was overwhelming, even when you didn’t know what being overwhelmed felt like. Hugh remembered what he had needed, and it was the first thing that he hoped to give every Nameless that survived the upcoming procedure. It was the same thing that he had been lucky enough to find on the Enterprise.

_A friend._

He smiled.

The doctor spoke from behind him, “Patient 1, please follow—”

Hugh held up his hand, and she fell silent.

“Greetings. I am Third of Five. State your current designation.”

Their eyes snapped to Hugh, took in his technological eye and the traces of Borg tech still embedded in his skull. “Second of Eight,” they replied in a rough voice.

“Your Cube has suffered a submatrix collapse. Your connection to the Collective has been severed. You will come with us, Second of Eight, and we will initiate a reconnection.”

They opened their mouth and then closed it again. Hugh could see the cogs working in their mind. “This one cannot be reconnected after a submatrix collapse. This one…has been abandoned…”

Allowing himself a smile, Hugh replied, “You will be reconnected. To your humanity.”

The Nameless tilted their head.

“Your options are limited. Follow us, Second of Eight, and we will not abandon you. We will give you a _new_ Collective.”

They stared at Hugh for a few moments more and then deliberately, laboriously, stepped down from their Alcove.

Hugh nodded. “Follow.”

Trusting that they would listen, he turned his back on Patient 1 and concentrated on walking. His excitement made it difficult. His heart hammered hard against his ribs and his legs shook with every step, but when he heard the heavy steps of the Nameless behind him, it all became worth it. His own heartbeat with his own excitement, and now he would share this with Patient 1. He wanted so desperately to give this freedom to _every_ drone.

There would be setbacks, of course. IT would take both patience and diligence, and they would lose as many as they reclaimed, but Hugh would do it.

If they could all feel like him—all 23,567 of them—he would do it.

**Author's Note:**

> I totally just made up the number of Nameless on the Artifact, I'm just gonna admit that here, so don't come for me lmao


End file.
